Source: Polished Commander & Warleader
Experienced men rise through the navy or join up with pirates to become powerful and respected captains, leaders across the high seas.
Colors Fly (Ex)
At 1st level, the sea captain may choose to have their Warleader associated skill be Profession (sailor) instead of other options normally available. In addition, the sea captain chooses whether they are a freebooter or a navyman, which determines which sea captain orders they qualify for.
Sea Captain Order
Whenever the sea captain gains an enhanced tactic, the sea captain may choose to instead gain a sea captain order.
Rules and a list of sea captain orders are included here.
Life At Sea (Ex)
At 2nd level, the sea captain gains a bonus to Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Profession (sailor) equal to 1 + 1 per 2 class levels (+2 at 2nd level).
If you are a freebooter, this Diplomacy bonus is doubled when interacting with brigands, pirates, thieves (and similar groups), and this Intimidate bonus is doubled when interacting with official navies, guards, and organized militia (and similar groups).
If you are a navyman, this Diplomacy bonus is doubled when interacting with official navies, guards, and organized militia (and similar groups), and this Intimidate bonus is doubled when interacting with brigands, pirates, thieves (and similar groups).
At 7th level, the sea captain gains a +1 bonus to the saving throw DCs of the Warleader sphere and of any combat sphere whose associated skill is Diplomacy, Intimidate, or Profession (sailor), increasing by an additional +1 at 12th and every 5 levels thereafter.
Veteran’s Welcome: At 12th level, the sea captain is known and respected as a military tactician, but only by organizations aligned with their previous selection as a freebooter or navyman. For example, a freebooter could gain free passage and help from a notorious pirate stronghold but could not freely enter a major navy’s garrison the same way.
Respected Legend: At 17th level, the sea captain’s reputation commands respect across the high seas. The sea captain may declare a grand purpose and call upon other military organizations to aid them in that purpose (a purpose may include help in an upcoming conflict, assisting in a voyage to a legendary place, and so on, subject to GM discretion). Military organizations that respect and would aid the sea captain answer the call to build a fleet armada, lending vessels and capable crewmen to the sea captain for their declared purpose, provided that organization does not have a prior affiliation or loyalty that stands against this purpose.
The sea captain may declare a grand purpose this way as many times as they like, but a military organization will typically only lend aid no more than once a month (or less frequently, if previously lended aid was costly) or may refuse to lend aid if the sea captain requests it too frequently.
This alters decorum.
Ships on High Seas Specialty
At 3rd level, the sea captain must choose either the ship or water battlefield specialty. The ship battlefield specialty is detailed below.
In addition, the sea captain may share their battlefield specialties with any ally aboard the same ship or vehicle as the sea captain, or aboard a ship or vehicle they are actively engaged in combat with, even if that ally is not benefitting from the sea captain’s Warleader sphere effects.
At 9th level, the sea captain must select whichever battlefield specialty they did not originally select (between ship and water).
This alters battlefield specialty.
Highlord Mariner (Ex)
At 15th level, while aboard a ship or vehicle, the sea captain and any ally benefitting from one of the sea captain’s Warleader sphere effects cannot be knocked prone or knocked off from a ship or vehicle.
This replaces the sea captain’s 15th-level battlefield specialty.
Sea Captain Orders
The sea captain’s prowess is directly related to their ability to command a crew.
Whenever the sea captain would gain an enhanced tactic, they may instead select a captain’s order. Unlike an enhanced tactic, a sea captain order does not require allies to benefit from the sea captain’s Warleader sphere effects (but may require the sea captain to possess a certain package or use a certain ability to activate them). Unless otherwise stated, the saving throw DC of a sea captain’s order is equal to 10 + 1/2 the sea captain’s level + the sea captain’s practitioner modifier.
A sea captain’s order is an extraordinary effect (unless otherwise stated).
Certain sea captain’s orders may require that the sea captain is a freebooter or a navyman.
Captain’s Authority
When another ally the sea captain can see fails a Will saving throw, as an immediate action, the sea captain may bark corrective orders at that ally. That ally rerolls their saving throw with a +4 morale bonus, taking the new result.
The sea captain may use this ability a number of times each day equal to 1/2 their practitioner modifier (minimum 1), +1 per 4 sea captain levels.
Fend Scurvy
As an immediate action, the sea captain may expend their martial focus to attempt a new saving throw
Formation Fighting (requires navyman; sea captain 6)
Whenever the sea captain and at least one other ally are threatening the same enemy, the sea captain and those allies are considered to be flanking that enemy, regardless of their positioning.
Pummeling Salvo (requires sea captain 6; Warleader (tactic) package)
The sea captain may engage tactics as a standard action to declare their tactic’s area as a salvo. A salvo cannot be centered on the sea captain or another creature and must be a designated area. Allies’ weapon attacks against enemies inside the salvo’s area deal an additional +1d6 damage and inflicts battered for 1 round. As long as a creature is battered by this effect, that creature also suffers a -2 penalty to their AC.
Pummeling Salvo, Broadsides! (requires sea captain 6; Warleader (tactic) package, pummeling salvo)
The salvo now deals 1d6 bludgeoning damage and inflicts battered for 1 round to all enemies inside the salvo’s area (Reflex negates). This damage occurs when the salvo is first declared and at the start of the sea captain’s turn each round.
The AC penalty inflicted by pummeling salvo now stacks, increasing by an additional -1 each time the battered condition is applied to a creature this way (up to a maximum penalty of 3 + 1 per 4 sea captain levels).
Shanties (requires freebooter; Warleader (shout) package)
The sea captain knows a number of shanties, the songs of the common man at sea. Each shanty is treated as a unique (shout) option that affects all allies within the effect’s radius for 1 round.
After the sea captain uses a shanty, as a free action each round, the sea captain may continue to hum the shanty for 1 round per sea captain level. While humming the shanty, the sea captain cannot shout and instead provides the shanty’s lesser benefits in the shanty’s original radius centered on the sea captain.
The sea captain may only use each shanty once per day.
The sea captain gains access to the following shanties at the indicated levels:
- The Drunken Sailor: All allies remove the sickened condition and are immune to the nauseated condition for 1 round. For the duration, allies do not provoke attacks of opportunity when retrieving or drinking a consumable, such as an alcoholic drink, alchemical remedy, or potion, and can drink those consumables 1 step faster (to a minimum of a swift action).
- The Wellerman (requires sea captain 6): All allies remove the shakened condition and are immune to fear for 1 round. For the duration, allies may take an additional 5-foot step each round.
- Roll the Old Chariot (requires sea captain 10): All allies remove the fatigued or exhausted condition and are immune to the staggered condition for 1 round. For the duration, allies cannot have their morale bonuses suppressed and gain a +2 morale bonus on attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks.
Trusted First Mate (requires freebooter)
The sea captain gains a familiar, using their sea captain level as their wizard level for the purposes of this ability.
When the sea captain rests and regains their resources, they may choose a single enhanced tactic option they possess that grants actions. Twice per day, the sea captain’s familiar may use the chosen enhanced tactic option as a full-round action, treating the sea captain as having used the enhanced tactic for all purposes. The familiar may only grant actions to one of the sea captain’s allies and cannot grant an action to the sea captain this way.
Battlefield Specialty
The captain has exclusive access to the ship battlefield specialty.
Ship
Across the waves through blustered gales and stormy seas, shanties and songs carry the ship onwards.
This battlefield specialty provides the following effects:
- Terrain Skill Bonus: Acrobatics and Climb. Unlike other terrain skill bonuses, you only benefit from these bonuses while on a ship or other vehicle.
- You can move normally across a ship or vehicle’s deck in stormy or heavy seas and gain a circumstance bonus equal to the sea captain’s level on concentration checks caused by vigorous or violent motion.
- You can always take 10 on Profession (sailor) and other skill checks made to control a vehicle.
- You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to your CMD and on saving throws against effects that would move you against your will (such as being subject to a bull rush, drag, or reposition combat maneuver, strong winds, etc.), increasing by +1 per 5 sea captain levels.
See PRPG Core Rulebook, Water and Ultimate Combat, Vehicle Rules for more details.
Logistics Specialty
The sea captain has access to the following unique logistics specialty.
The Ship Always Sails [plan]
The sea captain may purchase seafaring ships and similar vessels for half their normal price.
In addition, while docked in a settlement’s port or shipyard, any ship the sea captain owns or is the captain of has all of its basic costs and expenses covered for while in port. This includes maintenance and repairs, food and wages for the crew, standard equipment and munitions, and so on. This means a sea captain’s ship is always well maintained and well provisioned to begin a voyage (having supplies for up to 1 month, +1 month per 3 sea captain levels after 7th).
At 13th level, the sea captain can prepare this logistic specialty as a plan. When the sea captain reveals this plan, any one ship they own or are the captain of arrives at the current settlement’s port within 24 hours, minus 1 hour per sea captain level (minimum 1 hour). The ship always arrives, even if there is a blockade or other embargo, so long as that settlement has a port or other suitable place for the ship to dock (a seafaring ship cannot dock at a nonexisting port in a mountain stronghold).
At 19th level, when the sea captain reveals this plan, any number of ships may arrive this way.
Special - Overland March logistics specialty: If the sea captain also possesses the overland march logistics specialty, the sea captain’s ship may be part of their commander’s march. This allows the ship’s crew to operate the ship through extended hours, similar to a forced march.
The sea captain can also locate passageways that connect bodies of water, allowing the ship to travel through found passageways.